Editor's News

A fresh zero-day flaw in Microsoft PowerPoint is being exploited, which has caused Microsoft to issue a warning.   In an advisory, Microsoft said that the vulnerability could allow remote code execution and affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows, apart from Windows Server 2003. ”At this time, we are aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit the vulnerability through Microsoft PowerPoint,” it warned.   The vulnerability is in Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding...

Zscaler has entered the advanced persistent threat (APT) market with the launch of Fall 2014.   Combining robust internet security, APT protection, data loss prevention, SSL decryption, traffic shaping, policy management, security assessment and threat intelligence, the company said that the technology comes with a capability to monitor and manage a deployment via a mobile device.   Daniel Druker, chief marketing officer at Zscaler. “As a cloud-based system deployed at massive global scale, we at...

BAE Systems is to acquire commercial cyber service provider Perimeter Internetworking Corp, which trades as SilverSky. In a $232.5 million (approximately £144.4 million) cash deal and debt free basis, the acquisition is expected to close before the end of 2014. A cloud-based managed security services provider of services including email protection, network security and managed applications, SilverSky is largely focused on the US market, with a growing business in Asia and Europe. Ian King, chief...

Staples has said it is investigating a possible breach of payment card data. Following other retailers including Target, Home Depot, Kmart and Dairy Queen, Staples said it has contacted law enforcement about the matter and is in the process of investigating a potential issue involving credit card data. Company spokesman Mark Cautela said in a statement, published by Reuters, that it takes the protection of customer information very seriously, and is working to resolve the situation....

The USA is to adopt the Chip and PIN model after President Barack Obama signed an executive order to add security measures for federal credit cards.   The order will see microchips and PIN numbers added to Government credit cards and debit cards starting in January, with Obama also announcing that several major companies will take steps to make their own systems more secure and offer more customer protections.   He said: “The idea that somebody...

According to a survey of 100 professionals working in legal departments and law firms in the UK, 57 per cent believe that email constitutes the greatest security risk to their business. The survey, by logistics firm DX, also revealed that over half of legal professionals know of at least one incident in the last 12 months when an email had been sent to the wrong person, and 80 per cent of these emails had been sent...

The widely reported Xen hypervisor flaw was “media hype” that over exposed a flaw that was not as critical as claimed. Speaking to IT Security Guru at the Black Hat Europe in Amsterdam, Rafal Wojtczuk, security researcher at Bromium said that the revelation of the vulnerability was “really not that interesting” as it was not that critical as the virtual machine can trigger the buffer, and the impact is that there is some data leakage...

FBI director James B. Comey has said that national threats require a “national conversation”, particularly as it is struggling to keep up with developments in technology and the ability to surveil and collect data. In a speech given at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, the FBI director marked his first 13 months in the job saying that there are a lot of misconceptions in the public eye about what the Government collects and the...

The capability to take control of a mobile device and install malware can be done by simply plugging it into a fake charging station. Speaking at the Black Hat Europe conference, Andre Pereira said that while the trend for use of smartphones has increased, it also exposes our information. He highlighted the Android operating system and said that its customisation capability one was one of its benefits, and as vendors add their own software it...

Data transmission from a printer can be captured from 1200 metres away, according to the results of an experiment. In the opening keynote at this year's Black Hat Europe in Amsterdam, cryptographer Adi Shamir detailed an instance where it was possible to scan a printer from a distance of 1200 metres. Shamir said: “Previously, secrets were kept in file cabinets in buildings so you needed a human spy. Today, all secrets kept in cabinets need...